But then, in the pulse of a heartbeat, Samiah seemed to come to her senses. Her eyes widened and she took several steps to the left, increasing the distance between them.

Daniel ran a hand down his face and sucked in a shallow breath in an attempt to gain back some of the control he’d lost.

What in the hell was he doing? Was he trying to earn the top spot on Lowell Dwyer’s shit list? Or worse, get himself pulled from this case? If his supervisor knew about what he was up to this morning, Daniel had no doubt he’d have him on a plane to Virginia by this afternoon.

Peering out over the creek, Samiah cleared her throat and asked, “So, um…how are you adjusting to Trendsetters?”

“It’s been…surprising,” he said, giving her an honest answer for once.

She regarded him with a curious quirk to her brow. “Really? How so?”

“It’s just not what I’m used to.” Daniel shrugged, picking up a quarter-size chunk of limestone and pitching it into the water. “The atmosphere is so different from all the companies I’ve worked for in the past. Most sit you in a plain gray cubicle and expect you to spend the day slaving behind a computer screen. It’s all about what you can produce. Trendsetters puts a lot of effort into building a sense of cohesiveness among their employees. I like it. You don’t see that everywhere.”

“How many places have you worked?” she asked, an incredulous tinge to her laugh. “You make it sound as if you’ve been with a dozen companies already.”

“No, no. Not a dozen.” More like two dozen.

Dammit, he knew better than to allow that kind of slipup. The average twenty-eight-year-old software engineer with his academic background would have had approximately two-point-five employers at this stage of his career, not counting a couple of internships. It was the opposite of typical to have completed four years in the Marines and another two infiltrating companies engaged in white-collar crimes.

He should never have put himself in the position of having to discuss his employment background. The less details he shared, the better.

“Hey, I don’t know about you,” Daniel said, needing to change the subject, “but I could use a little sustenance before we get back on the hiking trail.” He slipped a hand in the side pocket of his cargo shorts and pulled out his secret weapon. “Can I interest you in a snack?”

Samiah burst out laughing at the sight of the granola bar.

“How could I say no to that?” she said, her grin a reminder of why it was so hard to say no to this…this thing that had blossomed between them.

They settled down on the massive gnarled roots of an old cypress. Daniel held her hand as she found purchase before taking a seat next to her.